


Ubi tu Gaius, ibi ego Gaia

by womenseemwicked



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Abusive Parents, Ancient Rome, Cruciatus, Engagement, F/M, Family Drama, Incest, M/M, Marauders AU, Roman AU, Roman Empire, the empire
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-23
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2018-12-22 11:22:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11966337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/womenseemwicked/pseuds/womenseemwicked
Summary: In a Roman-esque empire Ruled by the Black Family, the heir of the Black empire is a rebellious little shit who has no desire to produce an heir... instead having a preference for men. In order to create the illusion of a united front the Black family privately allowes that he may have a private affair with a man of his choosing... on condition that he marries well and produces an heir. His cousin Bellatrix is the likeliest candidate. But how does she feel about the prospect of this arrangement?





	Ubi tu Gaius, ibi ego Gaia

**Author's Note:**

> Based on an AU prompt started by the lovely asktheboywholived on Tumblr, full prompt here: http://asktheboywholived.tumblr.com/post/160361366017/wolfstar-au-synopsis-the-empiremore
> 
> Others, including asktheboywholived, have done the scene where Sirius meets and selects Remus to share his bed and I totally suggest going and reading those if you haven't, but I was curious about how Bellatrix and her father Cygnus would feel about this arrangement, and whether they know the deal. So I just jump in from after Sirius has acquired his werewolf slave.

"You what?!" Cygnus Black nearly choked on his wine.

"Calm yourself, little brother," Walburga purred. "We're telling you this out of courtesy. It is Sirius's right as a man to take on a lover of his choosing..."

"A _mistress!_ Not a--" Cygnus's eyes flashed with indignant anger. "I should have said yes to Lestrange. I understood your son was difficult, Walburga, but this. Surely he's grown out of such perversions?"

"Watch your tongue, Cygnus," Orion spoke from the shadowy head of the table, his voice a very slightly threatening purr.

"Of course, your Excellency," Cygnus muttered, inclining his head.

"It's all right, father," Sirius smirked from his father's right hand. "He's right. I _am_ childish and perverted. And I intend to stay that way. So, uncle," he addressed Cygnus directly. "If you want to call off the engagement before it's too late, no one would blame you I'm sur--"

"Sirius." Walburga hissed, flicking a quick wave of pain over her insolent son wandlessly and causing him to shut his mouth firmly and grimace. She turned back to her brother with a thin smile. "Cygnus, don't be a fool. We both know that childish or not your Bellatrix isn't going to get a better offer than this. Would you rather your eldest daughter be mother to the heirs to the Empire, or to some scrap of land on the edge of it?"

Cygnus bristled at being addressed this way, but said nothing. He stood and paced the room instead, throwing a glance at long last towards his daughter, who was sitting silenced in a corner. He flicked his wand over her to let her speak and she sighed loudly.

"Finally," she stretched dramatically. "You want to know what I think?" she smiled darkly. "I don't see a problem. It's not as if I want to go to bed with _him_ either. All the better for me if he finds someone else for his fun. I'll bear his sons, we'll live at opposite ends of the villa, and we'll keep lovers present for any non-essential urges. It sounds ideal."

Walburga's eyes went wide.

"I'm sorry, Bellatrix. Did you say _'we'_ ?" her tone was dangerously accommodating. _Turn back now, Bella,_ Sirius urged in his mind. _If you know what's good for you._

"Naturally," Bellatrix either didn't notice or didn't care about that Walburga's stare had gone all firey the way it did before she was about to curse someone. "Marriage is all about reciprocation, is it not? Caring for one another? I will care for Sirius in that I'll allow him his boy, and he will care for me in that he'll allow _me_ a boy or two. Maybe we can even share. Wouldn't that be fun, cousin?"

"Come near Remus and I’ll kill you,” Sirius promised with uncanny similarity to his father’s patented quiet menace.

“ _Remus,_ ” Cygnus questioned. “You already have this _concubinus_ then?”

“That’s the name of that wolf from the arena isn’t it? The one who wouldn’t fight?” Bellatrix asked, her eyes dancing with mischief at the thought. Cygnus’s face went pale and his eyes wide.

“A half breed?” he hissed, and spat reflexively. “Sister, tell me this isn’t true.”

Walburga herself was so disgusted by the thought of it even now that she found herself unable to respond. Instead Sirius spoke.

"It's not breeding that makes him the way he is, uncle. If you'd ever picked up a book you would know--" 

"I will not sit here and listen to this!" Cygnus threatened, but Walburga was already rounding on her son, wand in hand.

"Crucio!" she hissed, and the prince's head fell back against his chair as he grunted back a scream. Silence fell as Orion and Cygnus looked on with mild distaste and Bellatrix smiled, licking her lips as she watched Sirius's face break out in a fine sweat. Walburga finally released her son from the spell and quickly turned back to her brother.

"Cyggy, I know you care for your family as much as I do,” she said sweetly. “With nothing but daughters it is your job to find them the best husbands possible. And I respect that, of course. How could I not? Our situations are quite similar in that regard. Except that by this marriage my family merely avoids public humiliation; your family gains a throne for generations to come.

“You wouldn't deny your future grandchildren that, would you? After all what damage is it truly if Sirius has enough of a drive to require an... unconventional lover? At least we know he can perform. Unlike that Rodolfus Lestrange. You've heard the rumors I'm sure, about his ability to... perform?"

Cygnus grimaced and bowed his head. 

"Is that a yes?" Orion pressed softly with the barest hint of a smile at his wife.

Cygnus nodded slowly.

"Yes. I consent," he said heavily.

"Good," Orion nodded, and with a flick of his wand he raised the curtains around three quarters of their space to reveal the light and sound coming from the party below.

Sirius glanced at Bellatrix to find her staring at him with a lurid smile and he swallowed hard around the bile that rose in his throat and grimaced, picking up the uncomfortable golden wreath he'd removed earlier and nestling it back atop his unruly curls. The party below quieted as people noticed the opening of the curtains. 

"Noble Citizens," Orion spoke at barely more than a whisper, an amplifying charm doing nearly all the work as he came to the edge of the balcony. "It is my great pleasure to announce before you all the betrothal of your prince, Sirius Orion Black," he pulled Sirius to his side and into view of the people, and Sirius smiled charmingly down across them, looking for the familiar blonde and black heads of his two best friends. "To the untamable beauty Bellatrix Druella Black."

Bellatrix stepped up to Sirius's side with an almost human smile, making a show of taking Sirius's hand in hers. Her hand was cold and uncomfortable against his, but Sirius resisted his instinctive shudder.

"Now kiss her," Orion muttered, the charm gone from his voice so his order only just reached Sirius's ear.

Sirius let out a disgusted whine from the back of his throat before he could stop himself. If his mother had been within ear shot of it he may have found himself without vocal chords for at least a week, but as such Sirius merely flinched under his father's glare and pulled his cousin close.

"Shall I bite?" Bellatrix whispered with a smirk.

"Do and I'll have you killed," Sirius replied with only the barest hint of humor in his voice. "Give me a reason, I beg of you."

And then he took her lips like jumping in a cold lake with weights on his ankles, officially sealing the betrothal. Below, Sirius could hear James and Peter's voices amongst the cheers.

To everyone else it would have sounded like they were ecstatic at the match and couldn't wait to celebrate it with their friend, but Sirius knew better. Knew they were simultaneously horrified for him, and laughing their asses off at him. And somehow all that helped. 

Finally the kiss ended, the curtain came back down, and Orion sent everyone but Cygnus away so that they could hammer out the details of dowry. Sirius and Bellatrix were headed down the stairs to the party when Bellatrix turned her most frightening smile on her cousin and said:

"You didn't really mean it when you said I couldn't touch your pet did you? He's so... _virile_ ," she bit her lip and shivered a little. "What's it like having a werewolf in bed? Is he big?" 

"You want a werewolf?" Sirius replied tightly, picking up his pace. "Get your own."

Bellatrix laughed. "Mmm. Maybe I will."


End file.
